Xiaomi's AirPod-style wireless earbuds cost less than $30

XiaomiAirDots are an affordable Apple AirPods alternative priced at around $29

Cecil Davis
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08 November, 2018, 04:16

Fans of AirPods everywhere have been waiting for the release of the next generation of AirPods and the wireless charging case that Apple announced over a year ago. Unfortunately, no news yet of global availability but Xiaomi does have some events scheduled this week so that may still happen. If this sounds like the long-promised attempt to officially enter the U.S. market with more than a direct-sale accessory site, it's because that might be it. These new AirDots by Xiaomi use Bluetooth 5.0 and bear a price tag of 199 Yuan or about Rs 2,100. Similar to AirPods, the wireless earbuds feature a touch-sensitive surface that can be used to trigger Xiaomi's smart assistant, accept/reject calls, or skip music tracks. The Xiaomi Home will also be available for sale from the same time.

Moreover, the headset will get charged automatically when put into the charging box and will also shut down automatically after placing inside it. Last but not least, "special 7.2mm three magnetic coils" chamber is supposed to take care of the deeper lows for an improved audio experience. They'd likely still do so at $50. Chinese manufacturers are notorious for the latter and one would expect someone like Xiaomi to once again copy those designs and products. If you listen with only one of the buds, the promised battery life is up to five hours.

Second, there are no noise-cancellation promises and Xiaomi doesn't list any water-tight certification for its first true wireless earphones. But competitors have been ramping up their efforts to come up with AirPods, and Xiaomi's AirDots are the newest AirPods competitors out there.